Telangana HC: Birth of twins counts as one delivery for maternity leave

The Telangana High Court has ruled that the birth of twins in a single pregnancy must be treated as one delivery under the State’s two‑child norm. Justice K. Sharath directed authorities to sanction 180 days of maternity leave to a junior lecturer, terming the rejection of her application on the ground of twin births as untenable.

By Our Legal Correspondent 

Hyderabad: Justice K. Sharath of the Telangana High Court has held that the birth of twins in a single pregnancy must be treated as one delivery and not as two separate births for the purpose of maternity leave under the State’s two-child norm.

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The Court directed the authorities to grant 180 days of maternity leave to a government junior lecturer after holding that the rejection of her leave application solely because her first pregnancy resulted in twins was unsustainable.

The order came in a writ petition filed by Smt. Jadi Swarupa Rani, Junior English Lecturer at TSWRS Junior College (Girls), Bellampalli, Mancherial district. Her maternity leave application for her second pregnancy was rejected on the ground that she already had two children, as her first pregnancy resulted in the birth of twins. 

Counsel for the petitioner contended that the birth of twins is a single biological event and cannot be treated as two separate deliveries for denying statutory maternity benefits. Accepting the contention, Justice K. Sharath held that the petitioner’s first pregnancy constituted only one delivery and directed the authorities to sanction 180 days of maternity leave along with all consequential service benefits. 

The Court observed that maternity benefits cannot be denied merely because a woman gives birth to twins in her first pregnancy and directed the respondents to extend the statutory benefits in accordance with law.